Wednesday, September 16, 2009

New MSI Notebook 12.1” Wind U210

MSI Computer announced the availability of the new Wind U210 notebook this afternoon. Weighing in at just 3.2 pounds, Wind U210 is MSI’s first notebook to feature the AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 1.6 GHz processor. The newest edition to the Wind family of ultraportables, also features a 250 GB hard drive, 2GB of DDR2 memory, and an energy efficient 6-cell battery with a 4+ hour life. The new Wind U210 is available now at Amazon.com and Newegg.com for just $429.99.

MSI paired the Wind U210’s 12.1” HD (1366x768) 16:9 aspect ratio LCD with ATI Radeon X1250 for crystal clear graphics. The combination delivers a bright widescreen visual experience with exceptional color saturation and crisp imagery. The Wind U210 also features MSI's EDS (Ergonomic De-stress) keyboard with keys that are 51% larger than those on a standard keyboard. The larger keys greatly improve finger contact range, which reduces stress on fingers and wrists to provide a more comfortable typing experience. Additionally, MSI included a 1.3M webcam, HDMI port, 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA port, and a 4x1 card reader in the U210.



FULL SPECIFICATIONS BELOW


CPU :AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 (1.6 GHz)
OS :Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium
LCD:12.1” HD WXGA 16:9 (1366x768 resolution)
Chipset :AMD RS690 + SB600
Graphic :ATI Radeon X1250
Memory :2 GB DDR2
Storage :250 GB (2.5" SATA HDD)
Wireless :802.11b/g/n
Battery :6-Cell
Webcam :1.3
I/O :HDMI x 1 , USB 2.0 x 3 , Mic-in , Headphone, RJ45
Card Reader 4 in 1 (XD/SD/MMC/Memory Stick)
Dimensions :7.4” x 11.7” x 1.2”
Weight :3.2 lbs with 6-Cell battery
Warranty :1 years which. includes 1 years global warranty
Colors Available
White and Black

source

Lenovo ThinkPad T400s Multi-Touch Notebook Review

In case you haven't noticed, Lenovo has a thing for re-introducing machines with a tweak here or there and maybe a dash of new functionality. The IdeaPad S10-2 is a great example of that, as is the partially-new, multi-touch ThinkPad T400s. Frankly, the ThinkPad T400s that emerged in June wasn't all that different than the original ThinkPad T400. The T400s offered a slimmer profile, a tweaked keyboard, a few new internal hardware upgrades and optional WAN connectivity. The new T400s, which is equipped with Windows 7 and a multi-touch display, adds one major feature: touch.


But really, is adding touch input to an already decent notebook enough to make you think twice about buying a Lenovo? Or better yet, could it convince existing T400 and T400s owners to upgrade? In the pages to come, we'll take a look at how think machine performs with a new operating system. Unlike the original T400s that we reviewed earlier in the summer, our multi-touch T400s shipped with Windows 7 Professional, whereas the earlier T400s shipped with a variety of Vista options.

Of course, those interested in gaining multi-touch will have to pay for the privilege. The original T400s started at just $1599. The T400s Multi-Touch starts at $1999. That's a $400 premium just for the fancy display, and if you feel like computing with an upgraded 2.53GHz CPU and an SSD, be prepared to shell out even more. There's no doubt that this machine could end up pushing $3000 before all was said and done, which just seems outrageous regardless of how cutting-edge the whole multi-touch aspect is. That said, when you consider what Apple gets for a Macbook Pro with less functionality than this, perhaps it's not all that exorbitant?

source

Thursday, September 3, 2009

ASUS N81Vp Notebook Review


ASUS N81Vp with 14.1-inch display size is designed as a multimedia notebook to handle all the tasks the user, the latest games and HD video decoding. Asus used components 4GB RAM, Intel Core 2 Duo T9550, ATI Mobility 4650 graphics with GDDR3 1GB memory. ASUS notebooks are also N81Vp looks classy from the outside, almost equal to the class design HP DV series. Exterior design of glossy black and bronze paint dark metalick with pinstripe pattern of vertical lines broken.


While in its interior, there is a change in color to the color of gold and copper on the touchpad, the keyboard is also black. With display brightness set to 70 percent, wireless is also active, the notebook can last only 2 hours and 20 minutes prior to the standby mode with the battery portion 3 percent. Power consumption is also a fluctuation between 19 to 21 watts.

Advantages ASUS N81Vp:
Perfect cooling system
Fast processor
Good quality design
Port more than 17-inch notebook

Disadvantages: battery life is less

Asus N81Vp Specifications:

OS: Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1, 32-bit)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 (2.66GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
Display: 14.1 “Widescreen TFT LED backlighting (1366×768)
Memory: 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz
Chipset: ATI Mobility Radeon 4650 1GB GDDR3
Harddisk: 320GB 7200RPM SATA
Optical: Dual Layer CD / DVD Recordable
Camera: 1.3 megapixels
Wireless: Atheros AR928X B / G Wireless and Bluetooth Version 2.0 + EDR
Weight: 5lbs 11.1oz
Dimension: 13.5 x 10.1 x 1.6 ”
Warranty: 2 years
Battery: 6-cell 11.1V 4800mAh
Price estimate: $ 1,399

via dhanti

Laptop CPUs- Component Guide

From single core Pentiums to high-end Core 2 quad-core processors, here’s what you need to know about CPUs.

The central processor unit, or CPU, is the brain of your notebook. It’s the component that executes the complex calculations that allow you to launch a Web browser, play songs in iTunes, and run your operating system. Processors come in three varieties: single-core, dual-core, and quad-core. Here are the things you need to consider when evaluating a notebook’s CPU.



Clockspeed

All CPUs are assigned a clock speed in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz), but the latter is far more common in modern computers. Generally, the faster the clock speed, the better performance you’ll see.

Number of Cores

Single-core processors utilize, as the name suggests, a lone CPU. As such, it’s the not as powerful as multicore processors. Dual-core is the next step up, combining two independent processors onto one physical chipset to deliver more potent processing power. Quad-core, the current power king, ups the ante by combining four processors into one package. Notebook manufacturers, however, place these CPUs—and the various processor brands that live within each category—into very specific laptops classes depending on the machines’ need for power output and battery life.

CPUs for Netbooks

Designed for netbooks and nettops, Intel’s Atom processor is designed for extremely light computing, such as Web surfing, checking e-mail, and instant messaging. The Atom is currently available in 800-MHz to 2.0-GHz varieties, but we recommend avoiding anything less than 1.6 GHz, or you’ll get gray hair from waiting,

Though rare in comparison to Intel, Via’s Nano CPU is also a good choice. It comes in a broader ranger of clock speeds (1.0 GHz to 1.8 GHz), and we’ve found anything above 1.3 GHz to be acceptable.

In addition, AMD’s 1.6-GHz Athlon Neo CPU is also available in ultrathin laptops. Neo’s performance is good, but battery life is not as strong as what you’ll get from an Intel chip.

Ultrathin Notebooks

The new class of ultrathin, low-cost PCs are powered by Intel’s ULV (Ultra-Low Voltage) platform. This class of CPUs include processors from the Celeron, Core 2 Solo, and Pentium brand. The chipsets specialize in delivering long battery life; the ULV-powered Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T (6415) lasted over 8 hours on our LAPTOP Battery Test. These CPUs feature clock speeds ranging from 800 MHz to 1.4 GHz.

If you need more performance, consider a business ultraportable with a low-voltage Core 2 Duo processor, like the Toshiba Portégé R600-ST520W or Lenovo ThinkPad X301. Just expect to pay a hefty premium.

Mainstream Notebooks

If you’d like a notebook with more processing power, mainstream notebooks are the way to go, as they feature the higher-end members of Intel’s Core 2 Duo family. While you won’t find notebooks with the thin body of a ULV-powered machine, you’ll still be able to play games and dabble in multimedia content creation. You may even be able to get a system with long battery life.

No matter what mainstream notebook you get, you’ll want a Mac or PC running at 2.0 GHz. If extra processing punch is high on your list, however, we suggest a minimum clock speed of 2.4 GHz.

Laptop hunters on a budget may want to check out AMD’s offerings (Athlon, Sempron, and Turion), which are typically cheaper than their Intel counterparts. Intel’s dual-core Pentium is also acceptable for budget buyers.

Desktop Replacements


If you’re a hardcore gamer, or someone who does a lot of demanding work (CAD, professional graphic design, video editing, etc.) and cares more about performance than portability, settle for nothing less than a large notebook with an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU. Such a system will likely have a battery life of less than 2 hours, weigh more than 8 pounds, and cost more than $1,500. However, if speed is your main priority, the trade-offs are worth it.
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Jeffrey L. Wilson | laptopmag

Samsung to Introduce Two New CULV Laptops

Samsung is expected to announce two new CULV based laptops soon, the X420 and X520. The laptops will be based on an ultra-thin design with high battery life.

The Samsung X420 is based on Intel's Pentium Dual Core SU2700 1.30 GHz processor, with a 250GB 5400RPM hard drive and 3GB DDR3 RAM. However, an optical drive is not included.


It's equipped with a 14-inch screen and weighs 3.7 pounds. The Samsung X520 will be equipped with a similar SU2700 CPU which consumes ultra low power along with a 320GB hard drive and 4GB DDR3 memory. The X520 comes with a 15.6-inch display and weighs around 4.6 pounds. Both laptops include integrated Intel GMA X4500M cards. All the standard ports, including HDMI, are in place.

The laptops come with a standard 6-cell battery which delivers around nine hours of battery time. The laptops are expected to be introduced by the end of October after the official release of Windows 7. They will be available in Europe with a retail price of around €700 or $1000.

Jesper Berg | laptoplogic

Alienware m17x Review

The M17x is Alienware's flagship gaming notebook. It features a stealthy design, aluminum chassis, and a customizable lighting system. Our review unit is packed to the gills with dual Nvidia graphics cards, an Intel Extreme processor, and 8GB of RAM. Does the M17x live up to Alienware's claim of being the fastest gaming notebook on the market? Read our review to find out.




Alienware M17x review unit has the following specifications:

* 17-inch WUXGA (1920x1200) edge-to-edge display
* "Space Black" chassis
* Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
* Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 (2.53GHz/12MB/1066MHz) quad-core processor
(overclockable)
* Dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 280M 1GB graphics cards in SLI
* Switchable to integrated Nvidia GeForce 9400M 256MB graphics card
* 8GB DDR3-1333 RAM (2x 4GB)
* 1TB RAID 0 (500GB 7200RPM x2) hard drive array
* Slot-load Blu-ray reader
* AlienFX lighting system
* 9-cell battery


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Asus U20A Review


Certainly never seen a butterfly with beautiful wings flying to and fro is not it? Well, strength, beauty, and thinness of butterfly wings that’s inspired when designing notebook Asus with these U20A series.

Therefore, despite the wide screen, 12.1 “, Asus U20A designed not as thick and heavy as notebooks in its class. Thinnest part of the notebook is 2.75 cm, while the most 2.9 cm thick. The weight of the following notebook 6-cell battery it was only 1.834 kg. In fact this notebook comes complete with an optical drive, aka DVD-RW drive. Li-Ion battery of its own weight 298 grams.


One cause of light and thin U20A is the use of Intel processors CULV (consumer ultra low voltage), the Intel SU2700 combined with the Intel GS45 chipset, X4500 graphics MHD and a Wi-Fi Link 5100 Wi-Fi. Thin and light notebooks with long-lasting batteries, plus an affordable price is going up the ladder of popularity. More days, more and more notebook of this type available in the market, such as Acer and MSI Slim Timeline X.

But if Asus was able U20A beat his rivals? Let us examine one by one facility of this thin notebook.

Physical
We start from the outside view. Like most notebooks, Asus U20A body made of plastic. All the shiny black body. In the middle of the glossy cover that Asus logo appears.

As usual, the glossy cover was pretty inviting enough fingerprint impressions that we must often wipe. The same thing happened with palmrest panel and LCD frame.

Minimal Screws
Let us turn this notebook for a while. At the bottom we will see the two compartments. Close hinges are smaller, and is a place of memory. DDR memory compartment is only locked by one screw, so easy to open if we want to upgrade memory.

The other compartment is where the hard drive. This compartment is also minimal screws, only guarded by two screws. The lack of screws is easier for us to upgrade their own hard drive.

Screen
When his cover is opened we will see the layer-featured LCD LED-backlit. Size 12.1 “with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels standards. LCD screen is framed by a glossy black panel with cover U20A. There was little effect of reflection from this shiny frame.

Display LED backlit screen was bright, sharp, clear, and precise. At any level of 50 percent, the display is looking very bright. Light level adjustable LCD itself, or from sensors that will adjust the light level in the room where the notebook.

Webcams
In the middle of the LCD panel, as usual, installed a 2-megapixel Webcam. Activate by double-clicking on the menu icon LifeFrame. This camera can set the frequency. When you first activated, you will be presented box contains the location and the recommended frequency of Asus. Webcam quality was good, almost without pause. Images looked bright and clear.

Results recorded images can be saved in BMP, JPG, or GIF. Quite a few options that can be done by recording the picture. Among other images can be added emotion, frames, accessories, date. Resolution images can be selected between 160×120, 176×144, 320×240, 640×480, and 1280×1024.

Sequential shooting (continuous shot) shall be done. The options are 3, 5, 12, or 15 frames per second. If the room where the object is felt less light, do not forget to turn on the flash. Moda bidiknya can choose between Night Scene, Portrait, Slow Shutter and Custom.

Voice recorder is also available in LifeFrame applications. What’s interesting is Game bid. Here, two images can be positioned in a frame, with a choice: vs.., Pair?, And the symmetry face. The effect is very interesting. Symmetry face if elected, it will present a vertical white lines on the screen Webcam. Position your face in the line, and see the effect. If you’re down, on the right side of your face will attend the ‘fat’ and on the left side of the present version of the ‘thin’.

Clean the Rear
The back of the notebook is clean. No nothing there, except slot Li-Ion batteries. So when I first had to charge the rechargeable batteries, we got confused. We did not find a hole to plug, DC plug-in at the back of this. On the other sides we did not find the hole. Inquired had inquired, was the DC-in jack hidden in a rounded right hinge – a clever way to make the notebook is clean of the hole.

Condition of the back of the net from this hole with two opposite sides of a solid port. Look at the right side. Besides DC hole-in at the hinge, each present a single USB port, LAN port, an ExpressCard slot and a DVD-RW drive.

We shifted to the left side. Well, this side really colonized various ports. There are two USB 2.0 ports located by a separate air vent, a VGA port, one HDMI port and SD card slot. Appearing in the front two jacks: microphone and headphones.

Meanwhile at the front, two Altec Lansing speakers ready to let out the sound. Unfortunately in our opinion, the sound quality of big named players is less clear. His bass-less steady.

Keyboard and Touchpad
Keyboard panel is impressive U20A. The buttons have a light sensor and could be burning brightly in the darkness. To turn on the light sensor, press Fn-A. Light level can be controlled by pressing Fn-F3/F4/F5.

These buttons is wide enough to each other so comfortable to wear. No need too loud knock on every button.

Who also seized the attention of the touchpad. Not because of the width and right-left buttons into one button that turns out wide chrome uncomfortable suppressed because it was a little inside. But since this touchpad also be lit with a pattern of dots follow the direction of movement of our fingertips.

As a result, this notebook can actually be used perfectly in total darkness, including in aircraft. For all glowing – keys, display, and touchpad – by itself. Unfortunately U20A touchpad is too sensitive, especially if used for a long time.

Wireless Features
For wireless connections in the U20A, Asus provides Intel’s Wi-Fi 802.11/draft-n, and Bluetooth v2.1. Just do not look for Wi-Fi switch on the body of this notebook.

In this notebook, Asus liked the style shortcut keys to control various things. So to activate or turn off the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, we need to press Fn-F2 key.

Two Power Button
Maybe you will be confused to see there are two power buttons – each on the left and right upper panel of the keyboard. Both activate the computer.

The difference is, the power button on the left is a shortcut button, to turn into notebooks without operating system or access the hard disk. The emphasis will activate special modes Asus Express Gate. Express Gate adaah basically a mini operating system. This mode is very useful for those who are always mobile, and often need to the Internet or view files quickly.

Within eight seconds left after the power button is pressed, the notebook can be used.
We can listen to music or watching movies from the CD / DVD or USB flash disk, call via Skype, and talk (chat) with instant messaging, including playing games online via a wireless connection (Wi-Fi).

We are also free to look at pictures or images on the USB flash disk or digital camera connected to a notebook via a USB port Photo Manager. Read PDF files that fester in the USB flash disk can be by clicking on the file twice.

We just can not keep or take anything to / from disk. System-based Asus Express Gate Splashtop operating system it’s not accessing the notebook hard disk, including operating system activates. That’s why quick access.

To exit the ExpressGate mode, just turn off the computer off via the power button that appears at the bottom right corner of the screen. Or choose to go to the OS, which will enable the notebook as if we press the power button to the right. In normal conditions, we can access anything on the hard drive. It took 1 minute 32 seconds before the bersistem notebook Windows Vista Ultimate can be used.

Bundle Software
Asus software membundelkan enough in his U20A. For software, is paired Adobe Reader 9 and MS Office (trial version), Cyberlink DVD Suite, Lightscribe Direct Disc Labeling, and Picasa 3.

In addition there is Asus Multiframe and LifeFrame to activate the Webcam. Another bonus is the Norton Internet Security antivirus for free for three months.

Included in a SmartLogon Asus Utility Manager, AI Recovery Burner, Splendid Utility, and Asus FancyStart. Splendid Utility controls the screen with six options: Normal, Gamma, Vivid, Theater, Soft, and My Profile. To My Profile, you can set their own color temperature, RGB sync, colorfulness, and save it to a hotkey.

Manager SmartLogon quite interesting, because it allows us to login by using faces. Webcams will be automatically switched on in here and ask us to enter the password and press Capturing photos to create a gallery face. Logon level can be selected from the most stringent (high) to loose (low).

Meanwhile FancyStart used to change the startup screen. Here we can adjust the sound options, background images, frames and modes that will be displayed.

Battery
Our test unit came standard with DDR2 3GB RAM, hard disk 2.5 “320GB and battery 4400mAh Li-Ion 10.8 V Batteries weighing 298 grams was able to support notebook – in our experiments – a maximum of 4 hours 12 minutes. This is when we activate this feature Power4Gear Entertainment batteries.

In other settings, namely Battery Saving, notebooks can be used for 3 hours 24 minutes. While the High Performance setting, time-life to 3 hours 49 minutes.

Power4Gear battery usage settings (High Performance, Entertainment, Quiet Office, Battery Saving) is diaturkan Asus, but we can also change or add it yourself. Entertainment Power4Gear example, will turn off the display within 5 minutes if the notebook uses power from the batteries, or 15 minutes when using the power from the grid. Computers also will be included in the sleep mode after 15 minutes. While in High Performance, nothing is off when the notebook using the power from batteries or from the grid.

Mouse Free
In packaging, in addition to batteries and charger, Asus includes a mini optical mouse. This optical mouse connected via USB cable to be parsed from around the mouse body. But in our opinion, the mouse is less comfortable to wear due to lack of precision.

One thing about the adapter. Our test unit equipped with a charger Asus with two flat feet. As a result when power will recharge the batteries, we have to use the converter – a little inconvenient.
***

U20A Asus is compelling because it can be used even in total darkness. Unfortunately after about 1 hour use, the bottom of the unit was quite hot, so recommended to always use a mat or as a portable lap desk.

One note, the unit we tested was quite different from the units on the market. For example, the processor and RAM on our test unit is a 1.3 MHz Intel SU2700 and 3GB RAM DDR2, while on the market higher, the Intel Core 2 Solo ULV 1.4 GHz Su3500 with 4GB of RAM DDR2. Also our test unit mengemaskan and 320GB hard drive 2MP Webcam, while circulating in the market and 500GB hard drive provides 1.3 MP Webcam with 6-cell battery is claimed to stand working 8 hours, and additional bonus in the form of bags. But both are sold without operating systems.

PLUS: The light sensor on the keyboard, screen and touchpad; rich software bundle; international warranty; bright screen; Express Gate; RAM and hard drive upgrades easy.

MINUS: A bit of heat; feet flat adapter

source :laptopny

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